We Speak Fashion

Homecoming Sunday: McQueen Returns to London After 25 Years as Christopher Kane Revives Mulberry

Published

1 month ago

September 21, 2026

London Fashion Week built its Spring/Summer 2027 edition around a single Sunday — and two long-awaited homecomings. The season ran September 17–21, 2026, with 47 catwalk shows and 23 presentations under the banner “a celebration of London fashion,” in British Fashion Council CEO Laura Weir’s third edition in the role. Weir framed the city’s pitch to WWD: “If Paris is luxury and Milan is heritage, then London is creativity and innovation.”

At 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 20, Mulberry staged its first physical runway show since 2017 at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre. “Mulberry by Christopher Kane” was the designer’s first collection since his eponymous label entered administration in 2023, created with his sister and longtime collaborator Tammy Kane and built around the brand’s mulberry-tree symbol, with axe-shaped handbags, an oversized take on the archival Piccadilly bag in mock croc, and shoes finished with the house’s Postman’s Lock hardware. Kane described heritage as “a foundation, not a limitation”; the show closed to a standing ovation, and the collection reaches stores and online in January 2027.

That evening at 8 p.m., Alexander McQueen closed the Sunday calendar inside the Undercroft of Lincoln’s Inn Chapel — the label’s first London presentation since creative director Seán McGirr took over in 2023, and its first appearance on the city’s official schedule since the house moved its runway to Paris 25 years ago, presenting menswear and womenswear together in London for the first time. The collection worked house codes — exaggerated shoulders, lacquered satin, smoked tulle, enamelled metal leaf, silver body harnesses, skull motifs and Shaun Leane jewellery — against London rave references. Weir called the McQueen homecoming “a statement of confidence in British creativity at its most fearless and distinctive.”

The returns framed the rest of the week. Marks & Spencer made its first-ever London Fashion Week appearance on September 18 with a see-now-buy-now centenary show, and Burberry closed the week on Monday, September 21 at Chelsea College of Arts, where Daniel Lee collaborated with textile artist Celia Birtwell on hand-painted check pieces.

We Speak Fashion

L’Oréal Powers Past the Beauty Market: €35.33 Billion in Nine Months as Salon and Derm Brands Lead

Published

4 days ago

October 22, 2026

We Speak Media

The world’s largest beauty company is growing faster than the market it leads. L’Oréal reported sales of €35.33 billion for the first nine months of 2026, up 6.9% like-for-like and 7.7% as reported, in a statement released on October 22. Third-quarter sales reached €11.56 billion, up 7.2% like-for-like.

CEO Nicolas Hieronimus called it “an exceptional third quarter,” saying the global beauty market “once again proved its resilience” and that L’Oréal “continued to significantly outpace it” — company commentary put the wider market’s growth at roughly 5% for the quarter.

The quarter’s heavy lifting came from the group’s two professional-facing divisions. Professional Products — home to Kérastase, Redken and L’Oréal Professionnel — sold €1,469.1 million in Q3, up 12.1% like-for-like, while Dermatological Beauty (La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, SkinCeuticals) sold €1,871.6 million, up 12.2%. L’Oréal Luxe added €4,176.6 million (+6.4%) and Consumer Products €4,044.3 million (+4.3%), as fragrances and haircare drove growth, skincare continued to accelerate, and e-commerce sales grew around 17% — well ahead of the online beauty market.

The brand highlights told the same story. Kérastase grew double-digit, powered by Gloss Absolu, Genesis and Chronologiste; La Roche-Posay launched Mela B3 Double-Dose and Anthelios UV Air; Yves Saint Laurent’s Libre and MYSLF fragrances grew double-digit; and the newly acquired fragrance house Creed performed strongly.

Regionally, SAPMENA-SSA was the standout at +19.2% like-for-like, followed by Europe at +9.9% and North Asia at +7.8%; North America grew 2.2% (5.6% adjusted), and Latin America was the only region to decline, down 1.0%. During the period L’Oréal also closed its acquisition of a majority stake in Innovist, a digital-first Indian personal care house of brands — a results statement that underlines a simple point: at €35 billion in nine months, L’Oréal is not just leading the beauty business, it is widening the gap.